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TogaMasterJohn

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Everything posted by TogaMasterJohn

  1. Processor HQ: File Processing Info & Discussion

    TogaMasterJohn replied to Cyclone Boom's topic in The Planning Commission

    I agree. In fact, I was thinking along the same lines when I re-uploaded @G.F Jay Cosis's Oceanic Metropolis tile set. None of the pictures survived the incident, and it seemed that the Wayback Machine did not save them, either (though, now that I think about it, I didn't think to check! ). Given how much work he had put into the tile set, I wanted to feature as many highlights as I could within a reasonable number of screenshots (I may have gone a little overboard, I don't know). They were taken across the three cities he also included within the package. Taking just a few screenshots didn't seem right, and if my memory serves me right, he submitted five or six detailed high-resolution screenshots... The laptop I was/am doing all of this work on only has a screen capable of 1366x768. So, I did what I thought was best in order to honor and respect both the work in question and the original poster. I may have rambled a bit here, but hopefully my point comes across! It's definitely well worth taking the user's work into consideration.

  2. NAM Cross Platform Install - Now Game Won't Start

    TogaMasterJohn replied to shottejo's topic in NAM & Transit Networks

    Did you apply the 4GB Patch to "SimCity 4.exe" after installing NAM? https://www.sc4nam.com/docs/getting-started/installation/

  3. Way(s) out

    TogaMasterJohn commented on TheMurderousCricket's City Journal Entry in SimCity: Tribalism

    Yay! It's back! Alas, like Tamijo, I can't remember what I voted for the first time around! Thank you for providing a brief summary of the highlights; that made it easier to sort of remember things! I had fun looking at all of the neat pictures again, too.
  4. If I remember correctly, a lot of what he shared on Discord was also posted on Reddit: Coal Power Plant Police Station and Hospital Police Station (work-in-progress version) Hospital Theater Corporate Headquarters [KSIM] Recreating the Corporate Headquarters (video) Desalinization Plant, Water Pumps, Water Tower, Commercial Building [Medium Office Building 5], Police Station Large Condos + extras Recreating Small Office Building 2 (video) Spider Monster "Collage" (miscellaneous buildings + Spider Monster) Custom Art

  5. SimCity 4 could not install Direct Draw

    TogaMasterJohn replied to Lost At Sea's topic in SC4 Bugs & Technical Issues

    In addition to Cori's question above, are you sure it says "install" and not "initialize"? The reason why I ask is that what you are describing sounds more like a initialization issue with DirectDraw. What is your graphics card (GPU)? Are you trying to play these games under Windows XP SP3 or under a newer Windows version with XP compatibility mode enabled? Do note that if you're trying to play SimCity 4 under XP, it should be noted that the majority of the DLL mods will not work with XP (non-DLL/other mods should work just fine). I remember correctly, the only DLL mod that works with XP is SC4Fix, and I highly recommend using it if you're wanting to play with the Network Addon Mod (without RealHighway).

  6. sign up Calling All Volunteers!

    TogaMasterJohn replied to Cyclone Boom's topic in Simtropolis Recovery Project

    I have all three tile sets that G.F. Jay Cosis has posted here on Simtropolis so far. However, the only one that is missing its file at this time appears to be "Oceanic Metropolis," and I do have the file for it! I'm not sure what happened to the SC3K maps and BATs that I had. I can't seem to find them. They may have accidentally been deleted at one point while moving files around. I have gathered a list of all of my cached STEX files from SC4Pac. However, I don't know how much of what I have was uploaded or updated after June 28, 2024. I figured it could possibly be useful for when the time comes around!

  7. Lilydale Picnic Shelter

    TogaMasterJohn reviewed IDS2's file in Parks & Plazas

    You can never have too many pavilions! Thanks!

  8. sign up Calling All Volunteers!

    TogaMasterJohn replied to Cyclone Boom's topic in Simtropolis Recovery Project

    I'm mainly available on the weekends and evenings at this time (eastern timezone), but I'm willing to help in any way I can! I'll need to dig through my archives, but I know I have some SC2K tile sets, SC3K maps, and SC3K BATs. I may have some forum attachments, too. In addition, I have nearly all of the original ZIPs for the SC4 BATs and tools that I've downloaded from here since the beginning of my time here at Simtropolis, including some things that were downloaded through SC4Pac (as well as nearly all of the cached download files). Like simmering, most of the SC4 BATs I have are in their dark-nite form (when applicable), but I do have both variants in some cases. Obviously, I'll check the dates on everything! If there is a need for additional processors and verifiers, I'd be happy to help there, too. I have experience in writing and assembling documentation for various things, including tech-related manuals. I'm not all that familiar with some of the SC4 tools (such as PIM-X), but I'd be willing and happy to learn them along the way if it would help aid in the process (assuming they would be necessary). I have a little bit of experience with iLive Reader, thanks to Cori's tutorials.

  9. Simtropolis Returns!

    TogaMasterJohn replied to CorinaMarie's topic in Simtropolis Recovery Project

    That's true. I recall seeing that when I looked back at the March 6 snapshot in either late April or early May. I didn't dig deep into it at the time because the Wayback Machine was incredibly slow that day (even slower than the Internet Archive's normal speed). There might be some things that could be salvageable between February 28 and March 6, though, such as topics and replies. I emphasize "might" because a brief look at the March 6 snapshot a moment ago suggests that it may be a long shot.

  10. Simtropolis Returns!

    TogaMasterJohn replied to CorinaMarie's topic in Simtropolis Recovery Project

    YES!!! IT'S BACK!!! TIME TO PARTY!!! Like many others, I was going through major Simtropolis withdrawal. It's on my list of things to check out on a daily basis (and I do ~99% of the time )! I remember telling my father about the incident (he's the one who got me into SC4 as a child), and he was absolutely dumbfounded, too. I'm so happy it's back, and he's happy to hear it, too. I'm thankful that prior to the incident, I had downloaded most of the files I had wanted from the STEX (at the time) through the website and SC4Pac. I had planned on starting a new region right before it happened, but that never came to fruition due to plans and other things. Thankfully, I had made note of most of the files that I was going to get at a later time, so that saves me some time (excluding the currently missing files). I look forward to going through the commercial and industrial pages again soon (starting with page one)! I'll have to dig through my files, but I might have some of the files that are missing, too (attachments, pictures, etc.). I would be more than happy to help in the recovery effort in any way that I can! Hopefully, most of the forum topics and city journals that were lost prior to the incident will either be created again by their authors or rescued from the Wayback Machine. If memory serves me right, I believe my most recent post prior to the incident was either in CasperVG's topic about their EffDir-related discoveries or my celebratory ten-year post in "The Simtropolis Annuarians Club."

  11. Installing SimCity 4 on Ubuntu

    TogaMasterJohn replied to adamoteentitans's topic in SC4 Bugs & Technical Issues

    If you're not using Lutris, I personally recommend installing the game through Lutris. It makes it easier to install and manage the game under Linux, especially when it comes to changing Wine settings, versions, and so forth. It made it easier for me to test out other versions and variants of Wine when some did not play well with the game on my machine (specifically, regular Wine). To quote myself from another thread: I checked Lutris's website, and someone wrote a script that will install SimCity 4 for you, but only if you're connected to your GOG account in Lutris. I haven't tested it out (as I manually install all of my games), but it might work for you in your case. Otherwise, you can manually install the game with the downloadable offline installer through the "Add Game" wizard. Be sure to select the "Install a Windows game from an executable" option.

  12. SimCity 4 Deluxe for Windows 11

    TogaMasterJohn replied to daderic888's topic in SC4 Bugs & Technical Issues

    Indeed. Plus, I couldn't imagine not using the GOG digital version on any system these days... as much as I love and cherish my old SimCity 4 CDs, it's so much more convenient (and a lot faster) to install the game from a single executable. And if you really wanted to, you could burn it onto a DVD or store it on a flash drive to install on older machines. All of the GOG installers that I have tested so far work all the way back to Windows 2000, which is nice if you have an older "retro" machine for older games and programs.
  13. For the text to be missing like that, I can't help but wonder it is a Wine-related issue (I've experienced a very similar issue to this before). I'm guessing you've been trying to run the game under Linux in the past as well? I looked through your SC4Pac JSON, and unless I missed something, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary that could cause the text to be missing. I'd be happy to try to help you, as I use both Linux and Wine myself, as that's how I primarily play the game these days. Which distro are you using? What is your GPU? Which version or fork of Wine are you using? Are you using the GOG release or the Steam release? Have you tried using the software renderer? In its current state, does the game present weird visual anomalies when you go to scroll around the region or try to access a city tile? From what I've personally experienced so far, the game can be rather interesting to get up and running under Linux. Unfortunately, it can be quite cumbersome. It really comes down to your distro, GPU (and its driver), the version or fork of Wine you are using, and which release of the game you have. For some players, it is really easy, and for others, it takes a varying amount of work to get the game up and running without having to use the game's software renderer, which is the worst-case scenario (and even then, it isn't a guarantee that it'll work without issues). Throughout the past seven years, I've tried the game on nearly every machine that I have running Linux, all with varying degrees of success. For example, on my main machine, I was able to get the GOG release of the game to work with Lutris and Wine-GE (version 8-26-x86_64) under Linux Mint 22. Regular Wine did not work for me (if I remember correctly, I tested versions 5 through 9). I have an AMD Radeon RX 580, and I'm using the included open-source drivers. The only problem that I experienced and couldn't resolve was the audio would sometimes glitch and cause audible anomalies whenever I went to click on anything that had a respective sound effect (planting trees, placing roads, interacting with the UI, etc.). But other than that? The game is fully playable with hardware rendering and mods, just like it was/is under Windows (the RX 580 is old enough that a DirectX wrapper isn't necessary like it is with newer GPUs). And while I haven't tested it yet, it's possible that a newer version of Wine-GE may fix the audio problem that I experience.
  14. You're welcome! When I first heard about the project, I was immediately intrigued... and then upon trying it for the first time, I was immediately hooked! I can't go back to the "vanilla" Windows 95 version, even on my vintage machines!
  15. I remember seeing this in one of the SC4 Discord servers... these are truly awesome!! Very nice and impressive work! As someone who has really fond memories of SC2K (and still likes to play it here and there), these are really neat to see. Do you plan on creating more of these in the future? If so, I'd love to see your take on the parking garage. Oddly enough, it's my favorite building in the original tile set, with the Braun Llama Dome being a close second! The artwork for the monster is too cool... I love the llama (poor thing)!
  16. The sc2kfix plugin for the Windows 95 version of SC2K allows you to use MP3s instead of MIDI, which is a really nice feature. I highly recommend using it!

  17. Three League Island - Power for Aulton

    TogaMasterJohn commented on simmering's City Journal Entry in Aulton - Never Finished

    This is awesome! What a great way to start a city journal. I love the attention to and the amount of detail!

  18. Happy New Year Wishes

    TogaMasterJohn replied to CaptCity's topic in Community Goings-on

    Happy New Year to all Simtropians! I look forward to seeing all of the new mods and BATs for SC4, along with more mods for SC2000 (hopefully!). I wonder how many neat things will be discovered this year, too. As for my SimCity-related resolutions, I hope to continue my (slow) journey of getting into BAT-ing, along with making new art for SC2000 here and there.

  19. Best real estate options in New Udanani

    TogaMasterJohn commented on TheMurderousCricket's City Journal Entry in SimCity: Tribalism

    Admittedly, I'm quite partial to Paratus. I love their central park and the overall layout. I like the Fondlou District in Cape Careless for its marina, but I don't think I could live there... They're a little too careless. However, it would be fun to visit and party there. But I will say, out of all of them, Trigger Happy stands out the most in my book (minus the mosquitoes... I'm lightly allergic to them!). Given its beautiful scenery, I think it would be a neat place to live in! Great work as always, my friend! I began the long task a few days ago. I took a break after ten or so pages (I think?), but I have yet to resume! Surprisingly, even though it's Christmas time, it's fairly quiet around my neck of the woods, so I should have some time throughout the week to continue my journey!

  20. Entry 22: Neumarkt, Breitenbündt

    TogaMasterJohn commented on 11241036's City Journal Entry in Maxiland

    Very nice work! So many neat details!

  21. Connecting the dots

    TogaMasterJohn commented on TheMurderousCricket's City Journal Entry in SimCity: Tribalism

    I agree with Terring: Caring looks very nice. I'd visit it (if I could)! The Profit Hill Promenades Park is quite nice. It's perfect. I can only imagine how neat the volcano looks like from there! As always, I love the attention to detail... this was definitely worth the wait! I can't remember the last time I dug through them, but I'll have to again! I started working on rebuilding my plugins folder last night, and I'm still on the hunt for neat buildings and things (especially MMPs). Heck, I probably have some of them saved in my gigantic follow list on here!

  22. SimCity 2000 GoG version - how to change the tile set?

    TogaMasterJohn replied to SC4 gamer's topic in City-Building Games

    The version of SimCity 2000 that is available on GOG is the DOS version (running under DOSBox), and I believe the only way that you can change the tileset in the DOS version is through the SCURK (SimCity Urban Renewal Kit) program. As far as I know, the DOS version of SCURK is included in the GOG release of the game (I don't have the digital release, only the original Special Edition CD release). You will have to use DOSBox to launch SCURK [SCURK.EXE], which should be located within the game's directory, "SC2000" (e.g., "C:\GOG Games\SimCity 2000 Special Edition\SC2000"). It's a lot easier in the Windows versions of the game, as you can change the tileset directly within the game itself. You may want to consider using the Windows 95 version of the game (there's a terrific post about it here), and use the mentioned "sc2kfix" patch (which includes several bug fixes, better compatibility with newer versions of Windows, optional new features, etc.). In my opinion, it's the best way to play SimCity 2000 today.

  23. Old Town

    TogaMasterJohn commented on bhmantan's City Journal Entry in Saus Tartar

    Beautiful!

  24. Born again

    TogaMasterJohn commented on TheMurderousCricket's City Journal Entry in SimCity: Tribalism

    You're right... it is a rebirth! The Businesspeople have really outdone themselves with the fourth proposal (and the ideas of the Revered Spirits). Profit Hill looked nice and fairly pleasant before, but now it has even more scenic areas and a cool looking downtown area. Really nice work! It would be wrong not to mention the newly expanded (and revitalized?) towns of Dividend and Breadwinner Ponds, too. The new neighborhoods are quite nice! Keep up the great work as usual, my friend! SOLD! I could easily enjoy that!!!
  25. Out of curiosity, I checked it out, and I am also unable to view it. "The item you've requested to view has been deleted or is unavailable." Error code: 2D161/2
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